Opinion

The Capitol building in Olympia is marble colored and include pillars and a dome in the classic style.

Op-Ed: How to De-Trumpify the Washington State Budget

The mega wealthy are gaining even greater wealth thanks to Trump tax cuts while hundreds of thousands people are set to lose health care, food stamps, child care, and K-12 educational necessities. The Washington State Legislature should pass progressive funding to maintain and rebuild public services, John Burbank argues.

Op-Ed: Cascadia’s Awakening — Building a Region That Works for All

Washington State has big housing plans and ambitious planning tools, but it needs binding commitments across public, private, and social sectors to turn vision into reality. As it stands, housing isn't being built fast enough to stem the affordability crisis.
Students hold signs urging gun prevention and holistic approached to end violence.

Op-Ed: Seattle Leaders, Keep Your Promise — Keep Cops Out of Schools

A group of high school student activists make the case we don’t need more cops in schools. We need more care, as the Seattle Student Union fought for and had been promised. The research is clear on what works.
Katie Wilson a red button-up shirt with a navy sweater. Zohran wears a blue suit and a light blue shirt. He wears a beard and a smile.

Op-Ed: Katie Wilson is the Zohran Mamdani of Seattle

Progressive mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s victory in Tuesday's Democratic primary is a watershed moment for New York City, and Seattle is on the cusp of its own watershed moment with the opportunity to elect Katie Wilson, a progressive who would break a long run of timid centrist leadership.

Op-Ed: Latest Hit-and-Run Shows Harrell’s Failure on Lake Washington Boulevard Safety

A June 15th hit-and-run crash on Lake Washington Boulevard during a Bicycle Weekend makes the case for expanding the event and improving safety features on the boulevard. The reticence of police to investigate hit-and-run collisions may also be contributing to a culture of motorist impunity.

Op-Ed: Restoring Seattle’s Community Court Is Good, Pre-Filing Diversion Even Better 

Reviving community court isn’t a simple fix for Seattle’s criminal legal system — pre-filing diversion programs are more effective, cost less money, and avoid the harmful consequences of prosecution. Here's one Seattle City Attorney candidate's plan.
A woman jogs down Wallingford Avenue on a block of single family homes with Lake Union and the Seattle skyline in the background.

Op-Ed: Seattle Council Should Scale Up Neighborhood Centers in Growth Plan

On Monday, June 23, the Seattle City Council is holding a public hearing on the One Seattle growth plan. Housing advocates must defend the 29 neighborhood centers in the plan and push to add more. Jazmine Smith lays out the case for these eight additions.

Resilient Arts Sector Revitalizes Seattle, but High Rents Remain Hurdle

The arts have been key to Seattle bouncing back from the pandemic, helping to fill vacant storefronts, but finding affordable spaces to house art and the artists who make it remains a challenge. Artists are hoping a longshot bid to repurpose the abandoned El Rey Apartments could provide an anchor.